CARDINAL GEORGE TO CELEBRATE CHRISTMAS
WITH MASSES AND CHILDREN’S HOSPITAL VISIT

Chicago, IL (December 20, 2007) — Francis Cardinal George, O.M.I., Archbishop of Chicago, will continue his Christmas tradition by observing the Feast of the Nativity of the Lord with liturgical celebrations at Holy Name Cathedral and the Cook County Department of Corrections, and by visiting children and their families at Children’s Memorial Hospital.

On Tuesday, December 25, at 12 a.m., Cardinal George will be the main celebrant and homilist at Midnight Mass at Holy Name Cathedral, State and Superior Streets. At 11:20 p.m. limited, general public seating will be made available, and at 11:30 p.m., the evening’s liturgical music program will begin. WGN-TV (Channel 9) and WGN-Radio (720 AM) will simulcast the Mass live, with WGN-TV estimating that 72 million homes in the western hemisphere will tune into the broadcast.

On Christmas morning, December 25, Cardinal George will celebrate 9 a.m. Mass with men detained in Cook County Jail’s maximum-security Division 10, 2950 S. California Blvd. The Cardinal will then travel to Children's Memorial Hospital, 707 W. Fullerton Ave., (at the southeast corner of Halsted St. and Fullerton and Lincoln Avenues) for an 11 a.m. visit with hospitalized children who cannot be home for Christmas. Gordon Bass, the hospital’s Chief Operating Officer, will join with the Cardinal as he visits with the children and their families.